Effect of Post-Heat Treatment on the Electrochemical Performance of Sandwich Structured Cu/Sn/Cu Electrode

Abstract

In this work, we have produced Cu/Sn/Cu sandwich structured film by electrodeposition method, to be used as a negative electrode for rechargeable lithium ion battery. To promote the interaction between Cu/Sn/Cu layers, an additional post-heat treatment (200°C, 48h under vacuum atmosphere) has been applied to the coatings. The galvanostatic test results prove that morphological changes and CuxSi intermetallics formation in the film as a result of heat treatment process promote the capacity retention of the electrode. After 30 cycle, the capacities of the Cu/Sn/Cu electrodes with and without heat treatments are 230 mAh g−1, 100 mAh g−1 respectively. This demonstrates that the post-heat treatment process improves cycle performance of the electrode.